Iron and Steel
by Krypton X
Summary: Post Salvation. Lois learns about the JLA, Oliver is detained by S.H.I.E.L.D, and Clark is MIA after the battle with Zod. If that wasn't enough, Checkmate goes on the offensive with a super powered army of their own.
1. Chapter 1

Lois ran into the Isis Foundation lobby and called excited, "Chloe, I have to talk to you!" She stopped when she found it empty. She looked confused at a small paper which read. To book a session, contact Chloe Sullivan at 555-3208. She pulled out her cell and anxiously dialed the number. She commented impatiently, "Come on, Chlo. Pick up."

She heard the phone pick up and Chloe's strained voice quickly said, "I apologize for this, but I'm currently extremely occupied with a client. If you'll call at a later time…"

She cut her off, "Chloe, its Lois! I understand you're busy but I need to talk to you about the Blur!"

Chloe sounded pained as she snapped, "Look, Lois, I know you think you had a deep connection with the guy, but he's not who think he is! Now I hate to hang up but I'm kinda dealing with a crisis here."

She seemed annoyed by the tone as she blurted, "I think Clark Kent is the Blur!"

They were a pause on the other line and Lois wondered if Chloe had hung up before she had said it. She started to ask a question when Chloe's voice answered with a tone of guarded interest, "Why would you think that?"

She replied, "Well, he hasn't actually given any evidence personally, but some imposter named Zod tried to con me…"

Lois stopped with confusion at Chloe's panicked tone interrupted, "Zod talked to you? When? Are you alight?"

Lois narrowed her eyes, "Chloe, do you know Zod?"

She changed the subject, "Lois, why do you think Clark's the Blur?"

She answered, "Well, he had a book in his loft with an alien language in it and a drawing of the Book of Rao, but it wasn't until the Blur rescued me from Zod and kissed me did I realize it was Clark."

Chloe sounded somewhat nervous, "Lois, you should just listen to him and take Perry's job offer. Clark wouldn't want to stand in your way."

Lois looked intrigued, "Okay, that's interesting. I never told you about Perry's offer."

Chloe sounded cornered and Lois could almost see her cousins wide eyed expression, "Yes you did."

Lois grits her teeth, "Cousin, I want you to tell me where you are. I'm going to talk to you personally."

She waits and Chloe gives a resigned sigh as she said, "Come to the tallest building in Metropolis. You won't have any problem finding it. It's the one with the clock."

Lois heard the line disconnect and she looked puzzled. She walked outside and glanced around, "The tallest building with the clock on it?" She turned around looked stunned as she immediately saw it. She guessed it was only a couple blocks away so she started over.

Lois entered the buildings lobby and looked around for Chloe, "Cuz? You in here?"

She glared as she figured Chloe had tried to throw her off before the speakers came to life with Chloe's voice, "Lois, take Elevator 2. I'll bring you up."

Lois glanced over startled as the mentioned elevator opened. She slowly walked in and waited as it began its ascent. She gasped in surprise as a blue light filled the elevator and a beam slowly scanned her body. A computerized voice announced, "Lois Joanne Lane. Identity confirmed."

She felt a wave of dizziness as the doors opened and she walked out into what looked like the setup of the Pentagon. She looked around the room with disbelief, not believing Chloe would be wrapped up in something like this. Her denial was pushed aside as Chloe's voice called out, "I'm on the mezzanine, Lois."

She looked over a staircase and hurried up. She saw Chloe working feverishly at a blueprint of Queen Industries. She glanced over briefly at Lois and gave a quick nod in greeting, "Welcome to Watchtower." She suggested firmly, "Don't touch anything."

She hurried down the staircase again and stood in front of several monitors and spoke urgently, "JLA. Roll call."

Lois looked astonished as the screens suddenly lit up with about a dozen faces, some of who Lois remembered.

"Hawkman online."

"Cyborg online."

"Canary online."

Stargirl online."

"Impulse online."

"Aquaman online."

"John Jones online."

"Speedy online."

"Watchtower online." Lois noticed Chloe's apprehension at the last call-in, "Speedy, how did you get a JLA receiver?"

She looked somewhat nervous, "I followed Oliver a couple nights ago and picked one out of the supply closet. I know what you guys have started is the big leagues, but I owe Oliver my life. I'm not going to sit in the dugout while he risks his life."

She nods accepting her view, "okay." She asked urgently, "As you realized earlier, we were cut off. The Kandorians destroyed the satellites we had been using. But Green Arrow went to Queen Industries to activate a private satellite he had set up. Set up was successful, but he signal was compromised."

The whole team looked unsettled by her report and Hawkman sighed, "The Kandorians have him?"

She shook her head, "No. In his transmission, he reported that the Kandorians were not his attackers."

Stargirl looked worried, "Do you think Checkmate got to him?"

Chloe looked distraught, "That is the most logical guess. Green Arrow is most likely dead by now." She pauses briefly before turning to Hawkman and asking, "You're now in command of the JLA."

He looks reluctant but nods, "I'm sorry for your loss, Watchtower."

Lois looks outraged and storms up to Chloe, "Chloe, he's Oliver! You really think some group that uses chess lingo could take out the Green Arrow?"

Chloe's jaw clenches and she turns to Lois and says in a low voice, "Now is not the time to do this with me, Lois! I have an operation to run and Carter is now the best man to lead them! So just let it go!"

Lois looks somewhat hurt by Chloe's outburst and she steps back quietly. Chloe turns back to Hawkman and asks, "Has anyone received a message from Boy Scout?"

John answers, "Kal-El had contacted twenty minutes ago informing me he had retrieved the Book of Rao."

Impulse spoke up, "I did a run through of Metropolis and a freak rain storm popped near the remains of the Solar Tower."

Chloe walked over to a computer and pulled some images. She watched the building from the satellite view and counted as several flashes of orange went across the image. She looked disturbed as she came up with a final count. She turned to the JLA, "John, how many Kandorians did you account for?"

He answered, "Not including Kal-El, there were 13."

She informed, "There were 13 energy spikes matching that of the Fortress."

Hawkman sounds hopeful, "Then it is possible Kal-El found a way to remain behind."

She tilted her head skeptically, "Then why hasn't he called in?"

John Jones looked distracted and Chloe asked, "What's wrong, John?"

He answered after a few seconds, "I have a few contacts on the Checkmate angle. There has been no activity from them with regards to the Green Arrow."

Lois asked, "What does that mean?"

Chloe sighed at her interruption and answered, "That someone has Oliver. And I don't know who else would know about this situation."

Canary told her, "Cyborg and I are closest to the Watchtower. We can head over and help look for Boy Scout."

Chloe indicated, "Canary and Cyborg report back. Impulse, if you're not too busy, could you drop by and retrieve the Book of Rao? Its purpose might be done, but I don't want Checkmate or anyone else getting their hands on it."

Cyborg nodded, "We're on the way, Watchtower. Cyborg signing off."

The others signed off, leaving Chloe and Lois standing alone. Lois glanced quietly at her cousin for a moment. She felt her heart going out to her when the blonde suddenly let out a pained sob. She came up and asked softly, "Chloe, what's wrong?"

She scoffed through freely falling tears, "Everything! Oliver is MIA trying to save the world, Clark is most likely no longer on the planet and I am stuck here in this room finally seeing that everyone I get close to will eventually leave or disappear!"

Lois looked at her with puzzlement, "Chlo, I'm still here. Doesn't that mean something?"

Chloe cries out in despair, "And how long before I shut you completely?" She gestures to the room and all the equipment, "How long will it be before this consumes my life enough that I finally turn my back on my own family?"

Lois looks at her firmly, "Chloe, you know you couldn't ever shut me out completely, I'm too pushy to let you." She felt some relief when her cousin chuckled through her tears, "And I have to tell you, I am somewhat awed by this whole thing. You're supervising a group of superheroes! Chloe, I don't think I could be prouder of you!"

Chloe sniffed and wiped her eyes, "It's not that big a deal."

She stared incredulously at her, "Not a big deal?" She tired to get her thoughts together, "Chloe, I saw the recording of Oliver trying to kill himself. I clearly don't know the details; I'm guessing that you snapped him out of that little funk."

She chuckled tightly, "Yeah and you got caught in the middle."

Lois looked curious but shook her head, "You can explain that later." She asked, "Chloe, is Clark the Blur?"

She nodded, "Yeah. And before you go all gaga, you should know that the Book of Rao probably sent him to another planet."

Lois looked panicked, "What? Is that why he suggested I take Perry's job offer?"

"Yes. He's taken a small remnant of his people to a planet where they can rebuild their civilization."

Lois looked saddened but proud, "He would do that wouldn't he?" She glanced up thoughtfully, "I wonder if he can see Earth from where he is."

Chloe shrugged, "I don't honestly know. Even if he can't, you can be sure that he is looking up in the sky knowing that you are safe."

The two women looked over as the elevator opened and a rushing sound was heard and Impulse stopped in front of Chloe. He got to the point as he told her, "We may have a problem." He held up a knife with a blue blade streaked in blood.

Chloe looked horrified, "Tell me that's not I think it is."

Bart looked troubled, "I checked the location John gave me. I found the crystal altar but the Book of Rao was gone. I checked around the building and found this on the ground." He looked at Lois briefly and asked, "Isn't that Kal's main squeeze?"

Lois gave him a mild glare, "Nice to meet you too."

Chloe stopped them, "Cut it out, both of you." Chloe hastily took it from him and took it to a medical counter. She quickly took a swab of the blood and stuck in a medical device. She input some commands and waited impatiently.

Lois asked curiously, "What does that little machine do anyhow?"

Chloe replied, "It analyzes DNA markers. We have complete medical workups on everyone on the JLA." The machine beeped that it was finished and the trio looked over to a screen where a results display popped up. Chloe moved it to one side and typed in a second command. She pushed one final button and after a few seconds, the screen beeped affirmative and Chloe gasped in relief, "It's his. It's Clark's blood!"

Lois seemed troubled, "but that means he's hurt!"

Chloe shook her head hopefully, "No, Bart says the Book of Rao is gone." She showed the knife and explained, "The blue mineral acts emit's a neutralizing radiation that renders Clark human. If he removed the Book of Rao from the power crystals, he could take the knife out and be back to normal."

She looked hopeful as she understood, "So he could just be a little delayed."

Bart says reluctantly, "This is the guy who survived the collapse of an ice castle in the North Pole and hiked though a blizzard with farmer's overalls and survived for three months a Russian labor camp. Don't you think he'd be back by now?"

Chloe sighed, "He's right. If Clark was alive, he'd have come back by now. That leaves that question, is he dead, or did he get captured by someone?" The group exchanged nervous glances as they couldn't give an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Nick Fury walked down a hall looking through a think file. He came to a room and placed his hand on an identification display. An affirmative message appeared and he went in and looked expectantly at the redhead in the room. "Agent Romanov?"

Romanov turned away from a window and stood at attention, "Colonel Fury."

He nodded and asked, "What did you find about the break-in?"

She handed him a mission statement, "We responded to an intrusion alarm and found one individual on site. We attempted to question him, but he is being extremely uncooperative."

Fury glanced at the window at the hooded figures struggling in the chair. "Who is he?"

"Unknown. He doesn't have any records in S.H.I.E.L.D's database."

He seemed impressed, "This guy managed to avoid being detected by our operatives. That alone says he is very careful."

Romanov looked smug, "If he had been careful, he would not have been caught."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol tells us to treat unnamed players as hostiles."

Fury glances over her report, "It says here he used a handmade crossbow?" He looked intrigued, "That's somewhat outside the box."

She seems indifferent, "I fail to see how the tools he used reveal anything."

Fury glances at the man, "It means he has a personal tool unique to him. It also means he won't leave any records at a retail location." He points at Romanov, "Get to the Mainframes. Look for any records of materials and supplies that point to the construction of bow and arrows. He either has a dozen suppliers or one wealthy supplier who doesn't see the intended goal." He quickly suggested, "Make a call to Stark. Tell him we are asking for his services."

She nods, "Yes, Colonel."

Chloe replayed the recording of Oliver's disappearance and sighed as she tried to make out something she could recognize. She shook her head wishfully, "Where's Clark when you need him?"

Lois scoffed, "Cousin, Smallville isn't exactly the best person to ask for help with computers."

She smiled, "Yeah, but he can better. I just need to hear what the people are saying. Then I can get a better idea of who we're dealing with."

Lois looked stunned, "Clark would be able to hear the voices on the recording?"

She nodded, "Yep. We've drilled him at hearing a pin drop at 30 miles away."

Lois looked amazed, "How could he have kept something like this a secret for so long?"

Chloe chuckled, "Oh, from what he tells me, at least all of us have come co me pretty close on more than one occasion." She paused briefly, "You remember me telling you how I briefly could make people tell the truth?" Lois nodded and Chloe continued, "Well, I almost made Pete come close to spilling the beans. I asked what their plans were for the night, and Pete said they were watching the game after Clark ran to the stadium to pick up hotdogs."

Lois looked amused but then looked somewhat bothered, "I know I can't hold this against you, but did he really think I wouldn't understand?"

Chloe grew serious as well, "Lois, I know you were keeping in touch with Clark. That was only a few months, and how many times have you almost died from just talking with him? I know you're strong, but we went from a few cocky meteor freaks to butting heads with above the law government agents and aliens. Clark has tried to keep you out of the line of fire."

Lois sighed, "I can't believe how calm you are about all this. You've definitely overstepped the high school reporter I remember from 5 years ago."

She gave an overconfident smirk, "Well, dealing with the Luthor's did have some lasting benefits." She looked over suddenly when a radar display came up. She looked hopeful, "That's too small to be a plane. Clark might be on the way back." She looked puzzled when the signal headed past Watchtower. She looked curious, "It's heading for the satellite station Oliver was taken from." She picked up her earpiece, "Watchtower to John Jones and Hawkman. We have an identified boogey heading for the Earth Station. If you don't mind, we could find some clues that could lead us to Oliver's whereabouts. Try to maneuver the boogey to Watchtower."

The two men replied, "Acknowledged Watchtower."

Chloe spoke up urgently, "Watchtower to JLA. We're bringing in a potential hostile. Regroup at Watchtower."

Tony soared toward the coordinates that Fury had given him. He was within view of it when a reddish blur streaked past him and stopped in his path. Tony came a to a stop and he stared unbelieving at the man who literally floating in front of him. He forced any surprise from his voice and joked, "This is restricted airspace and you haven't been cleared for flight."

The man's eyes flashed with the intensity of a sun, "Where is the Green Arrow?"

Tony joked again, "Probably with the Pied Piper." He grew serious now and suggested, "Just back off or it won't be pretty." Tony suddenly felt something powerful slam into his shoulder and he was knocked through the air several hundred feet.

He gasped in panic and tried to realign his flight, "Jarvis, what just happened?"

"An incredibly powerful impact knocked your stabilizers offline for a few seconds. Judging by the readings from the armor, it appears to have been inflicted a mace."

He turned to see the red eyed man and a man dressed in old fashioned battle armor with large bird wings in front of him. The winged man spoke menacingly, "The man asked you a question! Where's Green Arrow?"

He spoke quickly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The man set his jaw and with a flurry of wings rushed him. He quickly raised both hands and fired two repulsor rays at the flying titan. He looked panicked when the man swung his mace in an arc in front of him and the bolts were deflected to the side. Tony swallowed nervously and turned and took off at full speed. He looked relieved as he saw the two signals falling back out of range. He looked on with disbelief as one signal surged toward him. He yelped in surprise as he suddenly jerked uncontrollably and found himself falling toward a large clock tower. He threw his arms to brace for the impact but it never came. He looked back up and suddenly dropped like a stone to a hard tile floor. He quickly checked his systems and stood up.

He turned to the side quickly when a woman's voice commented unimpressed, "all that tech and you're taken down by a man with a mace."

He glanced at the blonde girl with the blue eye mask on and aimed for her. He suddenly heard an ear piercing shriek and he was flying back against the wall.

A stronger voice suddenly shouted firmly, "Okay, that's enough. He's down. Cyborg, hack the suit."

He looked over as a younger man walked up and plugged a cable in one of the suits charging ports. Tony shouted urgently, "Jarvis, system lockdown!"

The AI replied, "Executing system…" The voice suddenly cut off and Tony felt his mask unhinge and open on its own.

A blonde woman walked up to him and gave him a strangely sincere greeting, "Hello, Mr. Stark. Welcome to Watchtower."


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe walked up to Tony and asked, "You were heading to the Satellite Station when my team intercepted you. Why?"

He put on a stony expression and didn't answer. Chloe looked admiringly, "I knew that you wouldn't be the type to cave so quickly. She glanced to Cyborg, "Close the helmet and make sure he can hear us, but can't talk from the suit." The helmet clanked shut again and Tony felt panic when she ordered, "Access the suit's environmental system. Alter air flow to sedate him. John, you're up."

He called out, "Hey, blondie, this isn't very funny." He tensed when he heard the air vents hiss quietly. He started getting tired and he called out, "Okay, that enough, you've proved your point. Let me out." No one answered and he grew more relaxed as his tiredness continued to increase. He blinked sleepily and muttered, "Fury better pay me double for this."

He blinked in disorientation as his vision immediately registered the red eyed man standing over him with his hand on his head. The blonde looked grateful, "Now that wasn't so hard was it?"

He looked around puzzled as he realized that he wasn't tired at all. He said curiously, "You tricked me. How'd you do that?"

The woman walked over to a computer, "Manhunter is telepathic. I know you're one of the good guys, but I will take whatever steps are needed to get my team whole again." She typed in the name and waited, "Okay. Colonel Nicholas Fury. Special ops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Everything is pretty standard until the early 80's where his postings are suddenly all deemed above top secret." She eyed Tony curiously, "I know your armor is pretty high-tech, but why would Fury be interested in you?"

He sighed at the barely veiled insult, "My father knew him. Seems they started up a secret organization a few years ago."

He didn't miss the suddenly tense expressions of everyone in the room and the winged man looked incensed, "Your father founded Checkmate?"

Tony looked at him strangely, "No, the Strategic Homeland…" He tried to remember the rest but just shortened it, "S.H.I.E.L.D. He founded S.H.I.E.L.D."

A blonde woman with a black stripe across her eyes spoke up, "I've heard of that name. It was all pretty much rumor back than, but allegedly it's a government sanctioned group that keeps tabs on potentially dangerous people all over the planet."

The woman looked thoughtful and chuckled, "So any strange activity at a government facility would set off their agents. I'm still worried, but I can rest easy knowing at least Checkmate doesn't have Green Arrow."

Tony interrupted, "Look, I don't mean to sound bossy, but I'm starting to get a cramp I n my back. Can you let me up?" The group looked unsure and he gave a sincere look, "I promise I'll play nice."

He glanced at the blond in charge who sighed after a moment. "Cyborg, reboot his armor."

The young man nodded and Tony looked relieved when he heard the servos whine back to life. He flexed his arms and exhaled, "That's better." He glanced at the woman and commented, "Well, you know that I'm Iron Man and Tony Stark; would you even the playing field and be so kind as to do some introductions?"

The woman gave him an appraising look before smirking, "As I said before, this is Watchtower. My name is Chloe Sullivan, and I'm afraid that's all I can reveal. The others can decide to let you know their names or not. Their aliases are, from left to right, Impulse, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Speedy, Black Canary, Aquaman, Stargirl, and you already know Cyborg."

He nods, "Cyborg." He glances at the young man, "You don't look very robotic."

The man smirked in response and punches a table denting the metal. Chloe gasped and commented, "Victor! This furniture cost me a fortune! Don't go breaking stuff when you aren't the one keeping this place organized!"

Tony chuckled at her concern but spoke seriously, "So you need to meet with Fury. I can arrange that, no problem. What might be a problem is location. Obviously, you don't want them knowing your base, and I'm pretty sure they don't want you to know the location of theirs."

Chloe started to answer when Hawkman objected firmly, "We shouldn't trust him. No offense, Chloe, but for all we know, Checkmate and S.H.I.E.L.D. are working together. This scrap of metal might not even know it."

Tony looked him in the eye firmly and countered, "I haven't worked with Fury for long, but my father wouldn't have begun a rogue government agency."

Hawkman scoffed, "He made a company dedicated to building weapons. I've personally seen Stark tech used against my kind before."

Tony now looked practically incensed, "You don't think I know my weapons were being sold behind my back? I built this armor to locate and prevent my weapons from being used against innocents! So if there is another location that has a stockpile of my weapons, just point the way! I'll take care of it!"

Chloe spoke up, "Guys! This isn't helping anything." She glances between the two men, "Now, I've done editorials on Howard Stark, and I know that he wouldn't condone black market weapons sales and clearly, Tony is his father's son. But obviously someone had given Checkmate those weapons. And considering Stane attempted to kill Tony last year, it's safe to say he sold them."

Dinah looked flabbergasted, "Are you saying Obadiah Stane was a Checkmate agent?"

Chloe nodded, "It's possible that they knew Stark wouldn't play ball with them, so they could have approached his VP. Stark Industries is the world's largest military supplier. Checkmate would try anything to have a piece of that pie."

Tony looked puzzled, "How do you know that Stane tried to kill me? That information was classified."

She shrugged, "I spent a few months with a through the roof IQ. I hacked a few government mainframes and the files weren't as protected as the government thought." She looked somewhat uneasy, "Everything I found is under lock and key at a safe location."

Stark raised an eyebrow, "Fury won't be happy when you tell him that." He glanced down and pointed to a small device on his armor and pressed a button on it a light turned off. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has the frequencies of my suit. Since they asked me to look at the satellite station, it a safe bet that they were keeping an eye on me. I shut it off, but their techs could have gotten a partial trace on this building." He looked sincere, "But S.H.I.E.L.D. is the good guys, so I don't think you have any reason to worry about them taking you as a threat."

She gives him a stern look, "Well, that may be true, but so far they're not looking very friendly. One of my team is being detained by them. Now, I want to believe you're on our side, so I need an act of good faith." She picked up her phone, "Get in touch with Colonel Fury and arrange for a meeting. I want to negotiate his release at private location, and, no offense, but you aren't going anywhere until I am satisfied he is released."

Tony looked startled at her coldness, "Okay." He took the phone and dialed, "I'll see what I can do."

Natasha looked impatiently at the man in front of her as she tried to find something else to use against him. She had tried diplomacy, blackmail and outright lying, but he had not admitted to anything. She sighed as a man rolled in a cart with a syringe and a vial of clear liquid. She picked it up, "You're very disciplined; I'll give you that. A terrorist like you is probably trained to resist physical torture, but as much I would be eager to get some answers, I'm held back by Civil Rights. So I am turning to my secret weapon." She stuck the syringe in the vial, "This cocktail is own of my own. It's a much effective version of the truth serum, and I am proud to admit that no one has been able to keep their secrets under its influence."

The man said nothing but she noticed him tense slightly and she hide a smirk. She walked up to him and carefully injected a small amount. She waited a few seconds and the man's head dropped slightly. She nodded expectantly and asked, "For starters, who are you? Your name and your moniker."

The man groaned slightly for a few moments before replying, "Oliver Queen. Green Arrow."

She commented positively, "Now we're making progress. Why were you at the Earth Satellite Station?"

"Setting up satellite feed for communications. We were cut off with the team."

"What was your team doing when you were cut off?"

"Preparing for a battle with the Kandorians. Then you captured me."

"Why were you battling the Kandorians and who are they?"

"They are aliens trying to take over the world. If they succeed, Earth would be overrun."

Natasha smirked, "Did they succeed?"

"No. The Blur took them to another planet."

Natasha froze at the mention of the Blur, "You work with the Blur? You know who he is?"

Oliver smirked up at the Black Widow, "It will take a hell of lot more than your wonder drug to get that out me."

She looked at him coldly and moved toward him threateningly. "Tell me!"

She stopped and glanced to the side when Fury's voice buzzed in over the intercom, "Black Widow, you're needed for a new mission."

She looked anxious but asked evenly, "What is it, sir?"

Fury replied, "We've receives transmission from Iron Man. A representative is setting up a meeting to discuss an exchange of our respective men. They are stating only one person to meet at a location to be revealed."

She glanced at Oliver anxiously, "Iron Man is being held against his will?"

"They stated that, but he claims he is not in danger."

"Can we believe him?"

"Our tracking beacon established his location to within two city blocks, so I believe we can. I'm sending you to meet their representative and discuss the exchange."

"Yes, Colonel." She waited until she heard the intercom click off and she looked intently at Oliver, "I don't know how you are familiar with the Blur, but I have orders to keep people off his trail. So I find out you or your friends know who he is, they won't be around long enough to tell anyone."

Oliver scoffed, "My whole team knows the Blur! And it will take a lot more than one Checkmate lackey to take us all out."

She gave a smug expression, "The Red Queen has the resources to make sure no one gets away."

Oliver looks surprised briefly before relaxing and telling, "If your boss is the Red Queen, than we're on the same team. I don't what the Blur in danger anymore than she does."

She gives an appraising look, "We'll see."

A man walked down a hallway and stopped in front of a large warehouse door. He slides an access card into a slot on the side and waited for the door to open. The man paused when someone came up and said sternly, "This area is restricted; only the General is allowed in this wing."

A gravelly voice scoffed, "I have plans for these prisoners."

The man looked at him evenly and pulled out a radio. Before the guard could talk, the man pulled a pistol and shot him with a sedative. "Security won't be needed." He leaned down and retrieved the guard's access card and walked to the first door. He opened it and walked in. "Good evening, Mr. Vanko. I am here on behalf of a group called Checkmate. We want to make use of your talents."

The aged Russian looked uninterested, "I have no need for any partnerships. The last one did not turn out very well."

"This isn't an offer. We require your assistance. We have a war to end and your power can be useful in the battle."

Vanko was silent, "Before I agree to help you, I have simple request. I want to finish off Tony Stark."

The man's voice had an understanding tone, "If I'm right, he'll be on the front line."

Vanko smirked and stood up. "Then you have my assistance."

They left the cell and went up to another door and Vanko waited as the man opened it, "I believe that your armor is kept in there."

He smiled evilly as he stepped inside. The man walked down the hall until he came to cell 9530. He opened the door and quickly aimed at the two men monitoring a computer terminal. The men collapsed and the man pressed a control. A moment later, the screens flashed warningly and a metal blast door slide open, revealing a massively built humanoid creature with bony protrusions covering the majority of his body. The creature had been sedated and now was quickly stirring with the machines turned off. The man spoke knowingly, "Captain Blonsky, it's a pleasure. How'd you like to go against a super powered army?"

Blonsky replied in a deep growl, "Only if they can put up a fight!"

The man nodded, "Oh, I'm sure it will be a fight." He glanced at the thick glass, "Can you get out, or do you need a hand?"

Blonsky smirked and charged forward at an impressive speed for his size. He pulled back and slammed a thick fist forward causing the glass to shatter like it was plate glass. The man chuckled impressed, "You've got it."

Blonsky seemed hesitant, "I appreciate the jailbreak, but how do you propose we get out?"

The man glanced down the hall in time to see the concrete suddenly explode outwards and an armored figure with two thick whips with white energy coursing over them stepped forward into the hall.

Blonsky looked impressed as Vanko's helmet unhinged, "What are we waiting for?"

The man walked down the hall with two villains following them. "Our exit is just outside."

Chloe walked into the Ace of Clubs and waited for the maître d' to come up. He smiled at her familiarly, "Hello, Miss Sullivan. Can I get your usual table?"

She smiled warmly, "Yes, Hank, thank you. And I won't need any anyone waiting me today. I'm just meeting an acquaintance. Her name is Rebecca Shields."

She was lead to her seat and waited. She got a look of hesitance and reached up to her ear. She whispered softly, "Carter, I know this is dangerous, but the agreement was for one representative each. S.H.I.E.L.D. could be a powerful ally against Checkmate. I don't want to scare them off with a group of costumed heroes." She paused and gave an amused comment, "Well, you could have come, yes, but you're not exactly as low profile as I am. I arranged for the exchange so I will do this." She gets an impatient look, "But Kal-El is missing and there's a small chance that their agent could be carrying green heat. I wouldn't put him in harms way anymore than I'd ask john to run into a burning building." She glanced over as a red headed woman entered the club. "Carter, I've gotta go. I believe our Black Widow just webbed in. Watchtower signing off."

She stood up politely as Hank escorted the agent over. She greeted her, "Hello, Ms. Shields. I'm glad you could make it." She turned to Hank and gave him a hundred dollars, "We need twenty minutes of privacy." He nodded and left quickly. She gestured to the seat, "Make yourself comfortable."

Black widow sat down and comments shortly, "Let's cut the idle chit chat. We have your man and you've got ours. What's the offer?"

Chloe smiled coldly, "Directness noted." She looked evenly at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, "Iron Man told us about your group, Widow. Now, Green Arrow was captured on a high priority mission, and we want him back in one piece. We have no quarrel with S.H.I.E.L.D., and we will conceal nothing about our operations, provided it doesn't compromise anything of our own team members."

Black Widow eyed her skeptically, "Fury may trust Stark, but I feel he would switch allegiances if he could benefit from it. He's a loose canon who needs to be kept on a short leash."

Chloe smirked, "You'll get no argument from me there. Believe it or not, we are on the same side. We are trying to protect innocents, and we've just managed to prevent an all out invasion of Earth."

Black Widow announced knowingly, "Green Arrow informs me about the Kandorians. I don't know if you're either certifiable or just delusional."

Chloe's jaw tensed and asked threateningly, "What did you do to him?"

Black Widow hid a smirk at the blondes poorly hidden reaction, "Oh, not too much. Some light torture; a few broken bones." She seemed pleased, "He's not very disciplined for a hero."

Chloe leaned forward, "You probably could knock me all around the room and I wouldn't stand a chance. But if you threaten or hurt my friends, I'll go one on one with you until my dying breath."

She gave an accepting look, "Okay. We can have Queen released and returned to you within the hour."

Chloe looked stunned for a moment as she processed the agents answer. "What? Just like that? You aren't going to object?"

She replied, "Anyone can lead a group of people." She gave a look of admiration, "it's takes a true leader to stand up for their team and lay their life on the line for them."

Chloe scoffed disbelieving, "You were testing me." She shook her head amused, "You're good."

Black Widow nodded, "You are too." She stood and gestured for the exit, "Shall we go?" Chloe stood up and followed her out. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stopped when her cell beeped urgently. She glanced at attentively, "S.H.I.E.L.D. says there's a disturbance at Michaels Air Force Base."

Chloe looks worried, "I'm guessing that's unusual."

She nods, "Michaels is very high security. It's got better protection than the White House and the Pentagon combined." She makes for the exit quickly, "You can come with me to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."

Chloe tells her quickly, "My base is only a few blocks away. I can uplink to your base and you can check it out from there." She says quickly, "By the way, I'm Chloe Sullivan."

She answers distractedly, "Natasha Romanov. Let's go." They hurry down the stairs and jump into Chloe's car.

Chloe and Natasha sprinted into Watchtower and Chloe gave a general greeting to everyone, "Everyone, this is Natasha Romanov, S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. We're somewhat rushed so a quick roll will have to do. Sound off." The team gave their aliases quickly. Chloe pointed out a computer, "Widow, that terminal is the Server. You can input your frequency to S.H.I.E.L.D. there for the uplink."

"Got it!" She quickly input the codes and walks to the main monitor in the room, "Black Widow to Colonel Fury. What is the situation?"

Fury's face appeared on the screen and he asked sternly, "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm at the representatives command center, colonel. We've established a good footing. Green Arrow can be removed from custody and briefed on the details later."

He tentatively accepted that, "Very well. As I informed you, there was an incident at Michaels Air Force Base about an hour ago." He looked to the side at a report, "It appears the base was infiltrated and it's rumored that several prisoners were released."

Chloe spoke up politely, "Colonel, if may interject, this is Watchtower. It's likely that you've been experiencing satellite difficulties. I have a private satellite in orbit that is fully functional. I'm transmitting the signal codes to you now."

He nodded after a minute, "We've got them."

"I'll need to know the location for your base; we can get a bird's eye view of what is going on." She put in some commands and glanced up at the display, "Got it." Everyone looked on as they glanced at the base.

Mia walked forward, "There! In the bottom left."

Chloe zoomed in and looked troubled, glancing over at Tony, "Isn't that the crazy Russian who cut your race car in half last month?"

He nodded troubled, "Yes it is." He looked accusingly at Black Widow, "You guys said he wouldn't be able to escape!"

She looked uneasy, "We didn't think he could. No one has ever managed to escape there for the last 70 years."

Chloe looked more worried, "It's not only him." She panned the camera to the right where a section of ground seemed to be moving on its own. It suddenly sailed through the air and slammed into an approaching army hummer. Chloe's eyes widened in disbelief, "What on earth is that?"

Black widow paled, "The Abomination." She spoke warningly, "Colonel, Whiplash is one thing, but Abomination is virtually unstoppable."

Fury came back on looking concerned, "I know that, Agent Romanov." He hesitated, "I have more bad news. I received a tip that Hammer Weapons had mass produced some drones prior to the Stark Expo incident. They went to investigate, but it appears that the warehouse has been cleaned out."

Tony asked alarmed, "How many did they manage to make?"

Fury replied, "From the inventory sheets we recovered, it appears that nearly 150 drones were completed."

Chloe looked nervous, "I'm guessing that's a bad thing."

Tony answered, "Those drones are equally matched to my armor inch for inch. It took two suits to take out a dozen of them."

She sighed, "And you've only got three other suits."

Romanov commented, "Even if Iron Man had the S.H.I.E.L.D. army helping him, we're still helplessly outnumbered with Abomination and Whiplash out there."

Hawkman spoke up, "We've got 8 people here that can help out."

Mia said firmly, "I'm not going to sit on the sidelines, Hawkman. You've got 9 people to help."

Chloe spoke up, "We are willing to fight with them. But I should point out, we probably have than two super villains and a robot army to deal with, Colonel. Only one group could manage to bypass your defenses, and that is Checkmate. I think they're smarting from Zod's attack and are massing for an offensive."

Hawkman looked edgy, "If you're right, than they'll have an even bigger army that you don't even know about."

Impulse pointed out, "I should point out that as strong as we are, we're still missing our big gun."

Chloe sighed, "I know we are, Bart. But we have to accept that Clark is gone. We're going to have to do this on our own."

Fury looked impressed, "Well, if you're willing to help, we're ready to have you." He smirked, "I have a few possible allies that we can get."

Chloe looked eager, "That's great! Where can we find them?"

He replied, "I'll transmit the locations and information on we can find them. I suggest you hurry and get them here quickly. Black Widow can brief you on what you need to know."

Widow looked over the files Fury sent and looked awed. "Well this is going to be quite an honor for who ever goes there." She turns and starts to speak, but pauses and glances at Chloe, "May I step in?"

Chloe nods, "Of course."

She speaks out, "Okay. I will need someone who will be able to crack through several feet of ice. You're going to be taking a trip to the Arctic Shelf."

Dinah spoke up, "I can shatter ice with a sonic pulse."

"Okay." She glances at Bart, "I believe Ms. Sullivan mentioned you could run exceptionally fast. You will take the Canary there." She moved on, "I need two people to head to New Mexico and meet with our agents there. They have a potential ally in the desert."

Hawkman and John volunteered and she commented, "Two more will head to California to find the last ally."

Lois volunteered, "I'll go."

Mia spoke up, "I'll go and keep an eye on her."

She nodded and Widow seemed okay. "All right. Report to the airport; a transport will be there waiting for you." She glanced at Aquaman and Stargirl, "You can do some patrols of the city. The rest all know what to do."

Tony looked at her, "I have a few ideas I might to run by Cyborg. If you don't object, I'll take him to my lab."

She agreed, "I have no objections."

He looks at Victor, "Let's go, kid." They walked out, leaving her and Chloe in Watchtower.

Chloe looked eager as the group left for their assignments, "Lets get to work."


	4. Chapter 4

Lois and Mia walked up to the military area in the airport and Lois told them, "hey, jarhead. We're here to catch a plane."

The soldier looked at them amused, "Nice try, ladies. But this is a military transport."

Lois glared, "Yeah, we know, and Fury is the one who set it up! So if you want him to ship you and your bad attitude to the Yukon, I suggest you clam up and get us in the air! We have an emergency on our hands!"

The man, who had paled at the mention of Fury's name, quickly nodded, "Of course, this way!"

Lois nodded impatiently, "That's more like it!" The officer escorted them into the plane and they got buckled in. Lois looked out the window and chuckled, "Well, they definitely have expedited the takeoff."

Mia smirked at Lois, "Oliver and Chloe said you were abrasive when you were focused, but clearly they were understating themselves."

Lois gave a smirk back, "Well, I'm an army brat myself. I know how to handle the lower ranks."

Mia nodded knowingly, "Good to know." She gestured to the file Romanov had given Lois, "So who are we picking up?"

Lois looked down and opened it, "Well, the dossier is for…a doctor? Doctor Bruce Banner." She seemed skeptical, "This guys a geneticist, not a super hero. It also says his whereabouts are unknown. We are actually going to look up…" She seemed annoyed, "Another doctor." She glanced at Mia disappointed, "I think we got the boring end of the recruiting."

Mia shrugged, "But we're helping to protect the world. It might not be like helping Clark but it has to come close."

Victor and Tony landed in Stark's lab and Victor glanced up impressed, "That's a rush, man. You've really done some fancy work."

Tony headed for a platform, "Jarvis unsuit me." Victor watched for a minute as several arms unhinged and removed Starks armor. He walked back over and commented, "I do have a lot of toys. But right now, let's focus on you." He gestured for Victor to raise his arms up, "Jarvis, x-ray analysis of our friend. I want to see what we can do here."

Victor looked puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

Stark gave an impressed grin as he looked at the hologram that appeared of Victors implants, "Very creative. But not too much offensive power. And you could use a bit more armor to withstand firepower." He turned to his displayed armors, "What can I take from you?"

In a cold glacier just off the Alaskan coast, a black and red blur streaked across the ice and stopped in front of a large ice berg. Dinah gave a stern glare to the super fast hero and moved to plant her legs on the slippery ground, "Bart, you need to keep you hands to yourself!"

He gave an innocent expression, "Hey, I was just carrying you, senorita!" He smirked slightly, "I can't help it if you shifted during the ride."

She pointed at him warningly, "You don't watch it, or you'll be the one I shatter!" She pulled out a GPS tracker, "Okay, the coordinates they gave us are just a few hundred yards inside that cave. We'll walk from here." She noticed Bart's look of disbelief and she said calmly, "No offense but the last thing we need is for you trip at super speed and plow into a wall of ice."

He seemed to accept that, "Yeah, even I can't run on ice." They carefully walked toward the cave.

Hawkman and John flew above the desert and landed slowly at the foot of a crater. A man in a suit approached them, "Hello. Colonel Fury indicated we would be receiving guests. I'm Agent Caulson."

John nodded, "Greetings, Mr. Caulson. I am John Jones, and this is Hawkman."

Caulson told them directly, "Look, I trust Fury and Romanov, and not to discount any talents you have, but what could you do to convince an unknown person to help fight an army?"

John eyed the center of the crater where a man was lying unconscious in the sand. He replied, "By a show of good faith." He glanced to a crate nearby and asked, "If I may, I believe the man needs that item."

Caulson answered sternly, "We don't know anything about this person. He could be a threat to this planet."

Hawkman gave him an answering glare, "According to Fury, Whiplash and some creature are terrorizing Manhattan, and there is an army of battle drones missing. We don't have time to argue potential threats when we do have a confirmed threat on our doorstep!"

Caulson sighed and walked to the crate and opened it. John reached for it and tired to pick it up. He strained but couldn't lift it. He commented, "It seems I can't take it to him."

Carter reached for it and tried, but he couldn't lift it either. He sighed and closed the crate and tried to lift it. He grew puzzled when it came easily. "Guess its Excalibur." He and John flew to the man and opened it next to him. John moved the man's hand onto the hammer and watched as a white glow covered the man and after a moment, he opened his eyes.

Lois and Mia walked up the stairs of a college campus into the science wing. Lois stopped a man walking by, "Hi! Sorry to bother you, but we're looking for Doctor Ross. Can you point us in the fight direction?"

The man replied, "Oh, no problem. She's in her office; it's the last one on the left, room 268."

They thanked him and hurried down the hall. Mia knocked and opened the door. They walked into the office where a woman looked at them curiously, "I'm sorry, I'm closing up for the night. You can return in the morning at 7 am."

Lois answered, "Actually, we have urgent business with you. You see, there's a problem in Manhattan and we need to get in touch with a friend of yours."

She chuckled, "Well, I don't think I know any good lawyers, but I'm sure you can find one in Manhattan just fine."

Mia glanced over the file notes, "Actually, the friend we need is about 9 feet tall and a little green around the gills."

The woman's expression immediately hardened, "I think you should leave."

Lois spoke up quickly, "We're not after him, we promise. Something called the apparition…"

Mia corrected, "Abomination."

"Right. The Abomination was broken out of jail and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who sent us says your friend was able to stop him before."

The woman looked distressed, "Blonsky escaped? How?"

Mia shrugged, "Someone infiltrated the base and staged a super powered jail break. We need some power to stop them and put them back where they belong."

Ross looked anxious, "Well, I don't know where Bruce is! After he stopped Blonsky, he fell off the gird again."

Lois looked dejected, "Well, there must be a way to let him know he needs to come out of hiding."

A man spoke up, "Maybe he saw the news and decided to step up." The three women looked back to see a man with a light beard leaning in the doorway. "After all, I am the one strong enough to stop him."

Lois glanced at Mia puzzled, "I thought you said he was tall and green."

Bruce smirked, "Only if you really tick me off."

Mia commented, "Well, with Lois with you, that probably won't be a problem."

Lois glared and said quickly, "Well, we should probably get to the airport. Fury wants us to regroup in Metropolis as soon as we can. Checkmate is going on the offensive and they want everyone in one place."

Ross nods, "Let's go then."

Bruce looked at her seriously, "Betty, this is too dangerous. You should stay here."

She gave him a firm look, "I'm going, and not even you can stop me."

Lois clapped her hands together, "Okay then! Let's get to the plane!"

Bart and Dinah walked through the ice cave and stopped as Dinah announced, "This is the spot that we were given. The guy must be nearby."

Bart seemed curious, "Why would they stick some guy in the Arctic? What's the point?"

Dinah shrugged, "Maybe it would keep him undisturbed from tourists or possible enemies."

Bart looked around the cavern and narrowed his eyes. He walked to the ice and wiped some of the snow away, revealing a red surface in the ice. "Dinah, over here."

She moved up to him, "Stand back." He moved behind her and she inhaled deeply. She leaned forward and sent a focused sound wave into the ice. The ice shook for several seconds before suddenly shattering and falling down to the ground as powdered snow. Bart sifted through the ice and looked unimpressed as he picked up a large circular metal shield. He scoffed, "We came to the arctic to find a shield? Come on, let's go!"

Dinah however, seemed awed and excited, "Bart, turn it over!" He gave her a confused look and turned the item over to show it to her. She gave a gasp of amazement as she looked at the stripes of red and white with the white star centered squarely in the blue center. She said breathlessly, "This is too amazing! Do you realize what this is?"

He looked unimpressed, "A patriotic dart board?"

She glared at him coldly and ordered, "Look around for a man sized chunk of ice. Quickly!" They looked around for a minute and Dinah stopped when she noticed a glimpse of blue across the cavern. She hurried over for a closer look. She exclaimed excited and moved away a few feet as she drew another breath. She sent a sound wave over a larger area and watched as the ice cracked and collapsed to the ground. She stopped and waited for the dust to settle. She looked star struck as a figure stepped forward through the dust. She spoke respectfully, "Forgive us for disturbing you, sir. We've been sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. We need your help."

There was a short pause before a strong voice replied, "Then what are we still doing here?"

Chloe gave a relieved look, "That's great to hear! Hawkman and John, take our newest intergalactic traveler to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ and brief him on the situation. Lois and Speedy, we've received news that the Abomination headed toward the lower West Coast near the Santa Anna pier. Impulse and Canary, bring our newest friend to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ to thaw. Aquaman, Stargirl, report back to Watchtower for new orders."

Romanov got on the line, "Iron man, War Machine is on his way to meet you and Cyborg at the Mansion. The three of you will have your hands full with the Whiplash and drones, but we will be sending reinforcements everyone is fully briefed." She paused for a minute, "Colonel Fury, our reinforcements have been picked up and are enroute. The JLA members will report back to Watchtower when they arrive."

She hung up and Chloe glanced at a monitor as she looked at the breakdown. Chloe glanced at the members of their collective teams, "Okay, as it is right now, Iron man, War Machine and Cyborg will be on Whiplash and the drone army and Banner is on his way to stop the Abomination." She paused as she removed their names from the list.

Romanov looked over the rest, "Watchtower and I will stay here as the eyes and ears." She looked over the dossier, "The drones can fly, so Hawkman and John Jones can assist the Iron Trio."

Chloe nodded, "That makes a group of 5 against an army of 151." She looked at the two unnamed slots, "Your mystery hero from the Arctic, what's his specialty?"

"Strength and stamina."

She suggested, "Then maybe he should give Banner a hand in Santa Anna."

Romanov gave an impressed expression, "Now you're thinking like a soldier. Mr. Rogers will be airlifted to the Pier immediately after his briefing. The alien can also help with the drones. That hammer he has looks like it packs quite a punch." She seems worried as she looks at the rest of the team, "It looks like our muscle is exhausted. Arrows and hand to hand combat won't do much good against metal, so Green Arrow and Speedy are unfortunately grounded. That leaves us Impulse, Canary, Stargirl and Aquaman."

Chloe looked the list over, "Canary and Stargirl can provide some mild firepower, but the drones probably have some energy resistance so I can't say how effective they would be against the armor."

Romanov concedes, "It will have to be enough. So the teams are assembled; we just need to deploy them."

Chloe looks over a map anxiously, "But where are the drones? They could be in any of Checkmates bases; from the info Hawkman and Stargirl gave us, they have at least 5 in the Eastern seaboard."

Romanov answered, "We'll just have to wait for them to make their move."

Chloe suddenly smiled, "Maybe we don't." She pressed her earpiece, "Impulse, Aquaman. We have a reconnaissance mission for you. We need to locate an army of armored battle drones. Perform sweeps of the Eastern seaboard Checkmate bases. Once you locate them, report back to Watchtower with the coordinates."

Romanov nodded, "Maybe they're more useful than I gave them credit for."

An hour later, Chloe tapped off her earpiece, "Locations are received." She pulled up the map again, "Checkmate has two factories on the coast: one at the New York docks and the other in Lower Manhattan." She zooms in on a remote area between the two sites, "I believe that we should assemble our team here. It's away from the general populace and gives us the home field advantage."

Romanov agrees, "I will head to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ and inform Colonel Fury of the plan. We'll move out once everyone is in position."

Chloe looked at the agent firmly, "Agreed. Good luck, Agent Romanov."

She turns and exits, "Good luck, Watchtower."

Chloe watches Oliver enter as Romanov leaves and smiles at him warmly. She jokes, "You had us worried, Arrow. Thought the bad guys had got you."

He smirks, "Oh, you know me. Can't me down for long."

Her face softens for an instant, "I'm glad you're okay. I was really scared there for a minute."

He replies, "I'm not going anywhere."

She gives a relieved smile, "Good." She gestures to the monitors where the teams are shown in formation and waiting for orders, "So how about we save the world again?"

He looks serious now, "Let's get to it."

She hands Oliver an earpiece, "Watchtower online. Sound off JLA."

"Aquaman online."

"Cyborg online."

"Canary online."

"Hawkman online."

"Impulse online."

"John Jones online."

"Stargirl online."

"Speedy online."

"Lois Lane online."

She smiles at the excitement is her cousins voice before she continues, "S.H.I.E.L.D. Sound off."

"Colonel Fury online."

"Black Widow online."

"Ironman online."

"War Machine online."

"Hulk online."

"Thor online."

"Captain America online."

Chloe looks ahead attentively, "Let's get to work."


	5. Chapter 5

Victor glanced up at Tony as he woke up. The millionaire looked at him with a smirk and commented, "This is by far the best upgrade you'll ever get."

Victor looked down and looked unimpressed at a bronze chest armor piece. He scoffed, "You just put the armor on me. How is this the best upgrade I'll ever have?"

He looked offended, "Just the armor?" He gave him a scolding look, "This chest piece is linked directly to your cybernetic implants in your spine. It's increased your physical strength by 30 percent, and on top of that, it's elinmatiated the need for those annoying earpieces." He suggested eagerly, "Log on to your team."

Victor looked unsure but decided to oblige him, "Cyborg online."

He looked stunned as a video display appeared in his vision of Chloe and Oliver in Watchtower, "Watchtower reads you, Cyborg." Chloe gave a curious look, "Cyborg, your systems are showing an 80 percent increase in vitals and power efficiency. What have you been doing over there?"

Tony sounded bored, "Oh, just taking out some of the junk tech from him. He's been upgraded with the latest Stark Industries armor and operating systems."

Oliver looked slighted, "Junk tech? Queen Industries is years ahead with Cybernetics."

Tony nodded, "True, which is why I left those implants intact. I don't want to leave your friend a vegetable after all. But with regards to the depressing lack of firepower, I had to step in and correct the mistakes Luthor made. But the hardware from Queen Industries was very impressive, and I never say that."

Oliver sounded unconvinced, "Uh, huh."

Victor scoffed, "Let's cut the bickering." He asked Tony, "What else did you add?"

He looked like a kid showing off a toy as he pulled up a holographic image of Victor's new modifications. "Well, as I said, Luthor was using potentially hazardous isotopes to power these systems, so I pulled them out and replaced them with a Mark 2 Arc Reactor core. This battery will still be kicking and screaming long after our great, great, great grandkids have their own grandkids."

He zoomed in Victor's left arm, which was now equipped with a cone of armor from the elbow to the wrist. I was somewhat disappointed that both arms weren't replaced with bionics, but I'll live with it. I gutted the tech there and put in a self assembling repulsor emitter." He hit a trigger and Victor looked down as the armor pulled apart and a mess of metallic segments flipped out and swarmed swiftly over Victors hand to form into a bronze metal glove with a white repulsor array in the palm. Victor smirked impressed and flexed his hand getting the feel of it.

He commented, "I barely feel a difference."

Chloe looked impressed, "Well, Vic, now you've got some firepower." She gave a mock glare, "Maybe now you'll stop complaining about not having any kind of offensive power."

Victor laughed, "Well, if this packs as much of a punch as his suit, I'd say we have a winner."

The two men looked up as a silver armored suit jetted in through the broken windows. Tony advised, "Watchtower, War Machine has arrived. Once your others friend show up, we can head out and get this thing going."

Chloe answered, "Got it. Hawkman, John, Dinah and Stargirl are just a few minutes from your mansion. Romanov called earlier informing us that Thor was heading to the mansion as well; and Captain America was briefed and is now enroute to the California coast. We'll be sending a go ahead for the Hulk just as soon as we get off this line."

Tony nodded seriously, "Good luck, everyone."

She replies solemnly, "To all of us. We'll need it. Watchtower out.

Lois glanced over to Bruce and Betty, "That was Watchtower. She says that you're going to be getting some backup at the Pier. She wasn't too specific, but I'm guessing he'll pack a punch too."

He seemed relieved, "Good. I can handle him, but last time I was sore for a month. Any help would be welcome."

Mia asked, "What's the situation on the East coast?"

Lois replied, "Green Arrow is back at Watchtower and Checkmate's army is going to be getting some resistance. They've got some new muscle of their own and they're ready to go."

The young fighter asked impatiently, "What do they want us to do?"

"We just sit this one out, Mia."

Mia looked angry, "I am going to help, Lane! You can't tell me to sit on the sidelines!"

Lois looked at her sincerely, "Mia, I want to help too, but martial arts and the like won't do much to stop either problem right now." She looked at her seriously, "Just because you're benched doesn't make you any less useful. Chloe, Ollie, Bart and AC are sitting this one out too, and I'm sure they're fine with it. They know when to back off, and right now, it's our turn."

Mia seemed to accept that, albeit grudgingly, "Alright. But the first chance we get…"

Lois gave a dangerous smirk, "You'll have to beat me to the battle line."

The group glanced forward as the pilot announced, "We're 5 minutes from the Pier. We're going to begin our descent."

Bruce told him, "No. Kept it in the air." He glanced at Betty, "I have to do it the same way, Betty. You know I do."

Lois asked alarmed, "You're going to jump out of the plane? How can you be sure you'll change?"

He replied, "Pain seems to be just as effective to trigger me."

Mia asked, "Shouldn't you wait for S.H.I.E.L.D. to send their man to help? Once you'll hulked out, you could mistake him for an enemy too."

He shook his head, "I think I can tell the difference between a friend and a foe even as the Hulk."

Mia nodded, "Still, it might be better to not weaken yourself before going against him." She pulled open a bag on her belt and pulled out a small syringe, "This is adrenaline. It's not painful and it won't make you mad, but it will send your pulse into overdrive. As the Hulk, you'll be more powerful, but it will probably make you crash after a few minutes."

He nodded, "It's better than nothing. Do it."

Lois yelled to the pilot, "Lower us to 500 feet."

Mia handed the needle to Betty, "You're better qualified to find the vein than I am." She nodded and sighed before jabbing it into Bruce's neck and injecting it. He grimaced slightly and squeezed his eyes closed tightly. They shot open again as an emerald green flashed in his eyes. The women watched as Bruce's body bulged and fluctuated rapidly, shredding most of his clothes until he was forced to bend over in the cabin. Mia looked amazed and she walked up to Bruce, "That's really cool." She asked curiously, "Can you understand me, Bruce?" The Hulk looked her over and blinked. Mia joked, "Don't get too sore this time." She chuckled when the Hulk actually rolled his eyes.

The Hulk turned to Betty and paused. Betty looked really scared and glanced at him pleadingly, "Please be careful, Bruce."

He softly touched the side of her face, "Hulk try."

She bite her lip worried and spoke evenly, "Go. Go get him."

The Hulk walked to the back as Lois pushed the cargo floor release. The Hulk paused for a moment before roaring loudly and barreled for the open door and leapt out in the darkness.

Lois pressed her earpiece, "Watchtower, Hulk is away. The war has begun."

Chloe nodded and replies, "Watchtower acknowledges. The plane will bring you to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters." She paused and said carefully, "Lois, I know that you have a line to Checkmate; I'm going to need to use it. We need to have the advantage over them, so I need to give them the time and place." She waited and glanced at Oliver, "Arrow, it's in her bag." He hurried over and found after a moment. She nods, "Okay. We're ready. Good job, you two. Now just sit tight and don't worry. Watchtower out."

Oliver glanced at the cell phone skeptically, "Are you sure this phone is a line to Checkmate?"

She shrugged and reached for it. She pressed the talk button and waited. The phone picked up and answered, "Lower Manhattan Deli."

Chloe spoke firmly, "This is Watchtower with a message for Agent Waller. We know Checkmate is planning an attack, and I'm letting you know that we're not as unprepared as you believe. So stop the covert plans and come out." She continued with an edge to her voice, "Our knight takes your queen. Check." She hangs up quickly and lets out a breath. "Wow, that's kinda exhilarating. Challenging Checkmate to a face off."

He comments, "I kinda like you when you're menacing like that."

She glances down as the phone rings. She answers, "Watchtower."

Waller's voice answers, "Your challenge is accepted, Watchtower."

Chloe smirks, "What, no witty chess lingo this time?"

Waller replies dangerously, "You're playing a very dangerous game, Watchtower. We aren't taking it lightly."

She replies, "Neither are we. We have our own players, and they are ready and waiting to face you. Our army is enroute to stop your knights as we speak. It's your move."

"Very well. It's a pity you chose to oppose us. I would have been honored to work with you."

Chloe didn't hide her disgust, "I don't ruin innocent lives and disguise it as patriotism. I would never have worked for Checkmate." She hung up the phone and turned it off. She presses her earpiece, "Watchtower to all agents. We've moved into endgame. They're going to hit hard and fast, so we won't pulling any punches. This is not a competition to see who can tackle the most targets. This is the real deal so you hit them with everything you have." She paused and continued solemnly, "It's very likely that not all of us will survive, and I am sorry that I can't be alongside you to the end."

Hawkman appears on the screen, "You always did have a brave spirit. I consider it an honor to fight with you."

Fury complimented, "You'd definitely make a trustworthy ally."

The rest of the team all gives similar expressions before Tony comments, "I hate to throw a wrench in the sappy farewells, but we have a army to deal with. You think we could wrap up the tear fest?"

Chloe gave a knowing look, "Everyone, the war has now started. Let's finish what they started."


	6. Chapter 6

A woman and her son walked down through the docks to their car carrying a bag of groceries. The woman screamed paused when she heard a thumping noise behind her. She turned around and paled when she saw a large creature with bony spikes running toward her and the boy. She screamed urgently, "Get in the car! NOW!"

She pulled out her keys and pushed the unlock button quickly. She screamed and fell back in terror and fear as a large green figure landed feet first on her vehicle, caving the roof in to the ground. She pulled her son close terrified and cowered as the large being stepped off the car toward them. She spun around going more fearful when the first creature bellowed, "Well, well, we meet again!" The green one roared at it and it scoffed, "Now that's no way to treat an old friend, Banner." It leaned forward and waved him forward, "Let me give you a lesson on manners."

The woman screamed in fear as the green thing ran forward and smashed his fist into the creatures jaw. "Nathan, let's go! Back into the store! Hurry!" They hurried to their feet right as the green creature sailed back and plowed into the remains of the van.

Lois pressed her earpiece as she watched the battle, "Lois to Watchtower. Hulk is already taking punishment. What's the ETA on S.H.I.E.L.D's backup?"

"According to Fury, the transport should be within range right now. No more than 3 minutes."

She winced as she watched the Abomination swing a pickup truck at Bruce, sending him rolling into another car. "They better speed it up; I think the adrenaline boost is already wearing off."

"Understood. But we don't have a lot of options. Ironman's team has their hands full."

Three drones rushed forward at Stargirl who thrust her staff forward sending a barrage of electric bolts at them, sending them crashing down in front of her. She ran forward and aimed it again, knocking down another one which had War Machine struggling to avoid a spray of bullets. She urged, "Don't get cocky! If you need help, give some warning!" Rhodey nodded and pulled her close to him as he launched a rocket at where she had been standing. She glanced back to a drone fall to the ground. "Thanks."

The pilot nodded as he raised his hand and dispatched another, "No problem."

Victor ran forward and leapt over a pair of drones rushing at him. He aimed as he went over and sent two rapid bolts at them. He looked up toward Ironman who was evading nearly four drones a few hundred feet in the air, "Martian, give the Iron filing a hand!"

The Martian tore the head off one drone before instantly going airborne and took on a greenish transparent glow. He flew through the drones and all four exploded a second later.

Ironman came around, "Thanks, Martian, but I had them where I wanted them."

Victor rolled his eyes as he heard Rhodey's annoyed voice, "Tony, this is not a game! Get your head straight!"

Hawkman shouted over the gun fire and explosions, "His immaturity won't matter if we keep getting pounded like this! I think we're dealing with more than 150 drones here! They just keep coming!" He flew forward and swung his mace in a wide arc clobbering six drones at once.

Dinah was pinned down behind a group of rocks. She flinched as the rocks rained down around her. She heard a loud crack of thunder and the gunfire ceased. She glanced up and looked relieved at the alien dressed in ancient roman apparel, "Thanks for the rescue. I let myself get boxed in."

Thor replied, "I will stand with you and provide cover."

She nodded, "No objection here." She followed him and paused as two drones landed in front of them. She inhaled quickly and leaned forward as a distortion wave emanated for her mouth and the drones flew apart at their joints.

Chloe and Oliver stood at Watchtower looking worried at the displays of the two battles sites. Chloe commented troubled, "They're losing ground, Oliver. They won't last much longer with more backup."

He looked worried as well, "I know. But we can't do anything from here. We just have to hope they're successful."

She nodded, "Watchtower to Fury, do you have any aces up your sleeves that we can put into play?"

The colonel's voice sounded strained, "No. We've thrown everything we've got at them."

She sighed, "Well, we aren't doing too well." She paused as she glanced to a monitor was suddenly beeped with a foreign signal break-in. She paled, "Oh, no. I think someone is trying to hack our system." She moved to the monitor and started working quickly to block it, "I can't keep them out." She looked up with panic, "They've broken the firewalls!" She glanced over expecting to see the screens go dark. When nothing happened she seemed puzzled, "Nothing happened."

Oliver corrected, "Actually something did."

Chloe walked over quickly to see a Red Queen display screen with two names. She commented alarmed, "The Blue and Green Knights? What? The Red Queen is attacking us now too?" She signaled everyone, "All units, be advised! Two more hostiles' enroute to battle!"

The Hulk roared and charged for the Abomination. He anticipated the attack and backhanded him across the parking lot. The Hulk slides across the cement and stopped after a hundred feet. He groaned painfully and tried to stand up. He protested as the Abomination stepped on his back and shoved him to the ground. "You still don't deserve this power! I'll rid you of it." He brought his foot up to finish him off. From out of nowhere, a large disc sails over and smashes into the Abomination's chest knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground.

The hulk looked over as the disc sailed back to where a man in a blue and red military uniform caught it and walked over. "Looks like you could use a hand."

The Hulk gazed at him with a hard expression and the man sighed, "You can't understand me can you?"

The Hulk turned toward the Abomination who was getting back up and said deeply, "Hulk smash Abomnation."

Captain America nodded, "Short and to the point. Let's do this."

The two walked up toward the large figure but stopped as a green blur streaked past them and the Abomination was suddenly sailing a good 50 feet through the air before a red/blue blur swooped in from the sky and took Blonsky away in the air.

The two team members looked in front of them to see a white figure standing on the far docks. They looked at it for a moment as they watched it raise its hand to its head.

Victor fell back with a groan as an energy blast blew the armor off his hand. He announced quickly, "My firepower is gone! I'm down!"

"This is the Green Knight. All Watchtower members hit the deck now. The Blue Knight is going to exterminate the infestation."

Everyone seemed looked confused at the newcomer's announcement until a red blue blur streaked through the air over head. They all looked with amazement as the figure stopped at the edge of the clearing. Hawkman shouted urgently, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Everyone fell to the ground just as an intense beam of red light scoured the clearing and the air, causing the remaining drones to melt or explode upon impact.

The teams looked up at the figure warily as he just stood there. Stargirl was closest to him and shouted, "Who are you? Friend or foe?" She backed away in fear as the figures eyes glowed and several streams of red lanced out and scorched the ground a few feet in front of her before disappearing.

She shielded her face from the flames and backed away from the heat. "Carter, can you see what that is from the sky?"

He nodded and flew up a ways before looking down and studying it. A surprised smile came to his face. The symbol the figure had burned was a diamond shape with an S in the middle.


	7. Chapter 7

Chloe glanced in awe at the displays as red flashed over the clearing for a couple seconds, after which all enemy targets were gone. She shot Oliver an excited glanced before getting the signal up, "This is Watchtower, report?"

Lois answered first with disbelief, "Someone or something just cleaned Blonsky's clock and blurred away."

Tony answered, "And an unknown agent just wiped out the entire Hammer Drone army." He paused, "Whiplash is still unaccounted for. I suggest that War Machine and I take a look around the city for him. We stopped him before, so we should be able to handle it."

Chloe pulled up a display of the area and noted a rapidly approaching signal, "I believe the fight is coming to you. Signal is three minutes out."

The Hulk and Captain America walked toward the white figure. They stopped when the newcomer sped forward to them, drawing a warning roar from the Hulk. The figure stopped and put their hands up unthreateningly. A female voice said calmly, "I'm not an enemy." She pulled off the mask she wore, revealing Lana Lang. "You can call me Prometheus. I'm here to help, I promise."

America asked skeptically, "Why should we believe you?"

Lana replied, "I'm friends with Watchtower. Tell her Lana Lang is here."

He did so and after a moment, he commented, "Well, Watchtower is suggesting that we bring you to Base if it is really you."

She gave a wondering glance at the Hulk and noted, "I can take you no problem, but even with my strength, I haven't tried to run with someone that size. Is there a way we can calm him down?"

He thought about it, "I don't know." He pressed his earpiece, "This is Captain America. We need to tame the Hulk. Any suggestions?"

Lois replied, "Here, let me put Dr. Ross on the line."

Captain America pulled out his earpiece and went to the Hulk and moved the earpiece up to the Hulk. He growled warningly and backed away from him. He stopped and looked annoyed, "He won't let me near him."

Lana offered, "Here, let me try?" She took it and walked to the Hulk, "We won't hurt you." She put the piece by her ear, "We want you to listen, and that's all."

He seemed to calm down and stood still. She walked forward and assured, "Its okay." She reached up to put the earpiece to his ear. When her hand got near his face, a green glow covered her hand and the green skin began glowing. He backed away in alarm and growled at her. Lana was shocked at the reaction, "I didn't expect that." She looked curious, "Have you been exposed to kryptonite?" She got a look of thought and told him, "Trust me. I want to test a theory." She took both hands and grabbed his shoulders. The glow intensified and after a few seconds, the green glow flowed from the Hulk into Lana's body. The effect lasted for about thirty seconds before it finally stopped leaving the Hulk with a grayish skin color. Lana stepped back and glowed green for a few seconds.

The Hulk shook his head and blinked in confusion. "What did you just do? I can think clearly now."

Lana commented, "I have a suit on that absorbs meteor radiation. I just drained it from your body."

Bruce replied, "Meteor radiation? I was exposed to gamma radiation."

She looked puzzled, "Maybe the two types are similar enough to each other that the suit reacted the same way." She changed the subject, "Are you able to change to human size so we can get back to Watchtower? They're going to need help."

He relaxed and after a few seconds, he was back to normal size. She commented, "Okay, hold on to me." The two men did so and a second later, all three blurred away.

Chloe listened to the radio chatter and was growing more excited by the second, "You're saying the Blue Knight used The Blur's calling card? Is he still there? Where is he?"

She froze when a familiar voice answered, "He's back where he belongs."

She spoke with hope in her voice, "Is it really you? You're still here?"

"Yes. And I'm not going anywhere."

She turned to see Clark standing in the lobby watching her and Oliver. Oliver gave a smirk at him, "Welcome back, Boy Scout."

She gave a cry of relief as she ran forward and hugged him tightly. He winced and told her, "Easy, Chloe."

She looked concerned, "What? Are you hurt?"

He replied, "I'm back to normal, but the wound from the blue k dagger is still kinda sore. I'll get out in the sun tomorrow to recharge."

She smirked, "Well, in the meantime, do you want to go take care of a super powered psycho with energy whips? He won't stand a chance against you."

He answered, "Well, Lana wanted to do it, so she's on the way there now."

Chloe looked troubled, "Clark, those energy whips are extremely powerful. I know the Prometheus layer is powerful, but I wouldn't guarantee it 100 percent against focused repulsor technology."

He sighed, "Then I better give her a hand." He turned and speeds out.

Lana stopped in the clearing where Ironman and War Machine were waiting. Tony looked over skeptically at Lana and his helmet opened, "Okay, I thought the Abomination was stopped by someone with super strength."

Lana glanced over to where Whiplash slammed into the ground near them and told him, "If he's half the strength of the Abomination, he'll be down in a second." She walked over and stood in front of him. He paused and opened his mask to look at her closely.

He commented, "I have no quarrel with you, girl. I want Stark to face me."

She smiled at him sweetly before she stepped forward and driving her fist hard at his chest. He flew backwards and rolled over 40 feet through the piles of metal left by the drones. Lana turned back to the four men and gave a smug expression, "Let's see him get up from that."

Tony's urgent voice warned, "He's getting up from that. Look out!"

Lana turned around in time to barely avoid a lash from one energy whip. She couldn't avoid the second and screamed as the whip slapped at her back and she arched her back in agony. She screamed again as a third impact knocked her to her back. She whimpered painfully and looked down at her stomach in shock to see a large gash in her stomach which was beginning to bleed heavily. She glanced back at Whiplash to see a pulse of heat impact with the white glow on his chest and the energy whips suddenly went dead. She let her head fall and her eyes slowly closed as she distantly heard her name being shouted in terror.

Clark sped into the clearing and watched as Lana took the two hits from Whiplash and collapsed to the ground. His eyes widened in fear and anger and his eyes flashed red before a large bolt of heat slammed into the mans chest at the white glow. He sped forward toward Lana but stopped when he felt the kryptonite radiation hit him. He screamed, "Lana!" He shouted to the other heroes, "Get her to Watchtower now!"

Chloe and Oliver turned worried as Ironman came roaring in quickly. Chloe looked at her injured friend and paled, "Oh no!" She ran to a table and hastily pushed everything off. "Put her here, Tony! Oliver, get the trauma kit!"

She rushed over and spoke to Lana urgently, "Lana, come on, wake up!" She looked hopeful when Lana's eyes opened and she looked at her unfocused.

She blinked in confusion, "Chl…Chloe?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm here! Stay with me, okay?"

Lana whimpered scared, "It hurts! It really hurts!"

Chloe felt her eyes watering as she nodded, "I know." She shouted urgently, "Where's the trauma kit?"

Tony spoke up, "I have to look at the damage." He looked at Lana, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I have to rip off your shirt, and it would be helpful to know what gave you this ability."

Chloe answered for her, "It's a biotechnology developed by Lex Luthor. It's a second skin that maintains the host's nervous system while giving them incredible strength and speed."

He ripped off the bloody shirt and looked amazed, "Whoa. That's unusual." Chloe glanced over and understood his reaction; where the skin was torn, a line of greenish wire like tendrils were flashing erratically. He guessed, "It looks like the repulsors energy damaged the circuitry of this skin."

Chloe demanded, "Can you fix it?"

He looked unsure, "I've never seen a technology like this before! I would be need access to the original files to see if I could even repair damage like this!"

Chloe was near tears, "We don't have them, and even if we did, we don't have time for you to skim over the notes! She needs help now!" She shouted panicked, "She's my friend, and I won't let her die! You have to do something!"

Oliver suggested, "What about Clark's blood? It brought Zod back to life."

Chloe shook her head, "He can't get close enough to do that."

Clark spoke up from the far wall, "Even if I could, it would do more harm to her than good. We can't take the suit off and my blood would make her like me."

Chloe glanced down panicked as Lana gave another pained scream and demanded pleadingly, "Someone please do something!"

Everyone looked at her dejected, "I don't think there's anything we can do, Chloe."

Chloe covered her mouth anxiously and looked down at Lana firmly and said comfortingly, "It's going to be okay, Lana. You'll be fine."

Lana gave her a tight smile, "I'm hurt, not deaf, Chloe. Not your fault. Just glad to help."

Chloe gave a choked sob, "No, Lana! You fight it! Don't give up, please!"

Lana grew still and said softly, "Don't blame you. Grow stronger from sacrifice."

Chloe practically screamed, "Lana, stay with me!" Lana gave a gasping breath and stop moving. Chloe paled in horror and gently shook her friend's body, "Lana. Wake up. Wake up, Lana!" She broke down in tears and leaned over her still body. Everyone looked shocked and let her stay there for a minute before Oliver moved forward. "Chloe, there was nothing…" He stopped talking as a white glow suddenly came from Chloe's sobbing frame and filled the room with a white field of energy that briefly obscured the grieving blonde. It stayed there for several moments before everyone heard something fall to the floor and the field quickly faded. Everyone looked curious as they saw Chloe's body lying motionless on the floor. Clark looked stunned and suggested urgently, "Check on Lana."

Tony looked at him funny, "She's dead, kid. That isn't going…" He suddenly jumped back startled as Lana's body arched suddenly and she sat up panicked.

She exhaled several times, "What happened?"

Clark walked up but stopped as he felt the kryptonite emanating from her. "You're okay now. That's the important thing." He glanced at Oliver and at Chloe's body and suggested, "Oliver, get Chloe to Dr. Hamilton and have him supervise her until she wakes up."

Tony and Rhodey both asked alarmed, "What just happened?"

Oliver went to pick up Chloe's body, "It's a long story, but right now, we need to get her to the hospital. We will explain everything later."


	8. Chapter 8

Clark walked into a room and glanced around searchingly and looked worried. He closed a lead box he was holding before narrowing his eyes and switching to x-ray. He saw a figure out on a ledge and his vision returned to normal as he sped across the S.H.I.E.L.D compound. He stopped at the door and reopened the box before opening the door and walking out. Lana turned around and looked scared; "Clark, you shouldn't be near me…" She stopped as he walked up to her without showing any pain. "What? How is this possible?"

He held up the blue rock and she looked saddened, "Never thought of that." She backs away from him as she says evenly, "Put it away."

He looks confused as he closes the box, "What? Why?"

She has tears in her eyes, "I know it's a solution for my problem, but I won't let you throw away what you have with Lois. You are so happy together, and I won't let you jeopardize that."

Clark says softly, "I just wanted to give you a proper good bye before you leave. I probably shouldn't have listened in, but I heard Colonel Fury offer you the job with S.H.I.E.L.D." He looked proud, "I'm proud of you, Lana. You've done so much good since you left and I wanted you to know that."

She nods gratefully, "Well, they have a pretty promising agenda. I'm just worried that I won't be able to meet their expectations."

Clark said worried, "Well, that doesn't sound like the Lana who helped prevent an entire city from being destroyed. I know she would prove herself any day of the week."

She smiles tightly, "I have a long way to go, Clark. I made a selfish decision and now I have to pay for it."

Clark looks at her sincerely, "Well, take it from a guy who's made his share of selfish choices, it is possible to redeem yourself." He reopened the box and picked up the rock before he gave her a hug, "It was good to see you again Lana. I hope you stay in touch with us every now and then. You're always welcome at Watchtower." He asked, "Make sure you stop by and see Chloe before you leave."

She nods, "I will. Goodbye, Clark Kent. I hope you keep your night job." He nods and steps back as he closes the box. Both turn startled when they hear a door close forcefully.

Chloe slowly opened her eyes and blinked to clear her head from the fog she presently felt. She looked forward and looked puzzled to see Lois scribbling on a paper. She licked her lips and said softly, "Hey, cousin."

Lois looked over with apprehension, "You're up!" She sighed troubled, "This is going to make it harder." She finished writing the note and left it there on the dresser. "I'm leaving Smallville, Chloe. I didn't want to, but I don't really have any reason to stay now." She walked over and pulled Chloe into a hug, "I love you, Chlo. And I hope you keep doing this thing. It's what you were meant to do."

Chloe looked alarmed, "Lois, what are you talking about? You have a job here, friends! You can't just drop everything here and leave!"

A few tears fell down her face as she explained, "I'm taking the job Perry offered me in Sydney. I'll drop you a line when I get settled. Goodbye, Chloe."

She turned and left, leaving Chloe stunned and confused. She called hoarsely, "Lois, wait!" She put her feet over the bed and tried to walk over but fell to the floor. She took a few panicked breathes as she tried to stand up.

The door opened and Stark walked in. He moved to help her up as he said worried, "Whoa, kid, you've just been through a shock. You need to rest."

She shook her head, "Lois. You have to find Lois."

Tony gestured, "She passed me in the hall; she asked Fury for a ride on the chopper to the Airport."

Chloe looked panicked, "She's leaving. I can't let her go!"

Tony sighed and moved her to the bed, "Stay here."

Tony went into the hall and hurried down the way he had seen Lois run. He came to a corner and glanced around searchingly. He suddenly stiffened and leaned against the wall unable to move. Lois walked up to him and spoke apologetically as she palmed a small paralyzing device, "I imagine this doesn't feel too good, but if my own cousin can't get me to stay, you and a group of superheroes won't either. I hope you don't take this personally, Mr. Stark. I don't have anything here anymore. Clark got the one he's always dreamed of, and I'm stuck with a job watching him save the world." She pushed a wheelchair forward and eased Tony into it. She added quickly as she put the device in his jacket pocket, "And I'll leave this little toy with you."

Chloe finished getting dressed when Clark and Lana walked in. The two friends looked worried and Lana said, "Chloe, you were in a coma; you should be resting."

"Lois is leaving for Sydney. I sent Tony after her, but I doubt even Ironman could stop her."

Clark looks somewhat nervous, "She must have heard part of our conversation."

Chloe gave them a mild glare, "Good going, you two. Lois is a little insecure when it comes to opening up, and the slightest thing could make her clam up."

Lana looked apologetic, "Well, I can explain that I won't be in her way, if we can get to her in time."

Chloe finished tying her shoes and said, "Let's go." They went down the hall and stopped when they saw Tony struggling to stand from the wheelchair.

The inventor spoke forced as Lana and Chloe helped him to stand, "Remind me to bill Lane for the hospital charges."

Clark asked, "What happened?"

"Your girlfriend used a paralysis device on me and made her way to the company hangar. She's probably boarding the plane now."

Lana saw Clark move to take off and held up her hand, "Clark, let me. I need to clear the air between her and me; otherwise she won't believe you are over me."

He nods after a moment, "You're right." She turns and blurs down the corridor.

Tony blinks amazed, "When she gets back, I want to take a look at that technology."

Lois paused briefly and glanced back. She took a determined breath and got in the helicopter. An attendant closed the door and the pilot lifted off. The chopper moved toward the open hangar doors to depart. Lois took a shaky breath and wiped a tear that fell down her cheek. She jerked forward suddenly and glanced at the pilot annoyed, "Hey, fly smoother, buddy!"

"Sorry, miss. We have an obstacle blocking us."

Lois narrowed her eyes as she craned her neck to see outside. She hung her head dejected and told him. "Set it down. I'll just be a couple minutes."

"Roger."

He landed and Lois opened the door and stepped out. She walked straight away from the plane and turned to keep calm. After a minute, she set her jaw and said calmly, "What could you possibly want now? From what I see, you've got everything you need, Lana." She unclipped her Daily Planet press badge and held it for Lana to take, "Do you want my job at the Planet now too?"

Lana looked at her worried, "Lois, I don't want your job. And I haven't taken anything…" Lana stopped in surprise as the taller woman slapped her.

Lois gasped in pain and squeezed her hand gingerly. "Don't lie to me, Lang! I saw you two on the balcony. You both looked cozy together." She took a sobbing breath, "you and Clark have each other, and I wish you both all the best. I really do." She stalked to the brunette, "But you pretty not hurt him, you hear me? Because I have seen him in agony over you so many times. If you do it again and he comes running back to Smallville, I will hunt you down and make you pay for every tear he cries, you got it?"

Lana looked stunned for a few moments before talking calmly, "Okay. Is your hand okay?"

Lois gave a slight shake, "I'm fine."

"Good. Once you get back inside, you should have it checked out just to be safe."

Lois nods, "I'll get a medic in Sydney to look at it once I land."

Lana eyed her sadly, "They told me you how stubborn you are. Clark says it's what he first loved about you."

She looked confused before glaring, "Lang, I'm warning you…"

Lana interrupted, "Lois, shut up for a minute and let me rant now, okay?" She nodded, "first of all, you aren't going to Sydney. You've got a job here in Metropolis, one that Chloe and Clark both say you excel in. Second, and you have my complete word on this, I am not going to take Clark from you. Things have changed for him and me."

Lois looked skeptical, "But you're both equals. Your strength matches his, and you've both been crazy for each other."

"But I can't be within 15 feet of him thanks to the kryptonite radiation from the suit!" Lana sighed, "Regardless, we thought we had something, but it was impulsive, selfish. We've been stuck on childish impressions of the other and it was amazing while it lasted. But we've never been meant for each other, not the way you two are."

Lois objected, "I'm not his soul mate, Lana. You are."

Lana scoffed, "Clark and I have been on and off for years, Lois. And looking back, it was only rebounding. We would get hurt, and the other would be there to pick the other up." She asked, "Do you know the first time Clark flew?"

Lois shrugged, "Yeah, a few hours ago."

Lana shook her head, "No. It was right after he met you."

Lois looked intrigued, "No, Chloe says that was his alien side. Kal El flew, not Clark."

Lana pressed on, "Lois, I may have known about Clark and his secret longer than you, but I am not the one who gave him wings. You did that, and it's because of you that the world will have him to look as a savior. And it hasn't been me that he's been trusting from the shadows. It's you."

Lois spoke cautiously, "This all sounds good, but how do I know you're not going to go after him?"

Lana smirked, "Clark's not the only person has dating recently. I ran into Pete Ross a few months ago, and we've been dating for a while." She said playfully, "You're not the only normal person who's dating a superhero." Her phone beeped urgently and she glanced at it. She said seriously, "I'm afraid I have to go, Lois."

Lois was surprised to feel some disappointment, "What? Why so soon? You just got back."

Lana shrugged, "You should know better than anyone, Lois. Stories don't wait." She pulled out an ID badge with a star emblem with SHIELD stamped in the center, "And neither does SHIELD, my new employer."

Lois looked amazed, "No way? Lana, I know I was somewhat blunt earlier, but you are my friend. What they do is dangerous."

She smiled sincerely, "You could argue that reporting is too." she looked mockingly at her, "Seriously, how many times has someone tried to kill you? And you're not even bulletproof." She said sincerely, "I meant what I said, Lois. I have no plans to steal Clark from you, and even if I had to remove the suit, I wouldn't try to rekindle our relationship. He is waiting for you to come back. And we both know how he'll take it if you leave."

Lois was silent for a minute. She said softly, "Thank you. And I promise, I will look after him. He won't have any reason to cry today."

Lana nods, "Good to know." She walked a few feet and turned back. "I'll see you around, Lois." she blurred from the hangar as Lois glanced at the chopper.

She went over and said calmly, "On second thought, I'm not leaving. Sorry for the hassle." She walked back to the base as the pilot powered down the chopper.


End file.
